Yep! It’s scary how calm a drowning person can seem (as in not flailing or splashing). It’s also scary how they can also start to panic when you’re rescuing them.
I was a lifeguard for years, but my scariest rescue was when I was at the beach with my friend. She told me she would stay in shallow water while I jumped off a nearby pier, but while I was making sure it was safe to jump, I spotted her in deep water. She wasn’t flailing, but had clearly been swept by a current and was barely above water (like this girl in the video). I dove in to get her, but didn’t have any rescue gear for her to hold onto. Once I got to her, she immediately tried to climb up my body and it’s like her brain was in full panic mode. She wasn’t able to understand that she was putting both of us in danger. We were in deep water with a very strong current.
Thankfully, I was also a competitive swimmer, so I was strong and I was able to get her back to safety. But I came out of that bruised and shaken. I still feel like I’m really lucky we came out of that alive.
Yea, i remember going through lifeguard training. One of the first things they taught us is how to deal with a panicking swimmer. You do the one thing they don't want you take them under.
The thought of an open water rescue without a guard tube or other PFD and an active drowning situation is horrifying after what I learned/experienced lifeguarding. Pretty sure I’d drown lol
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u/Broad_Afternoon_8578 7d ago
Yep! It’s scary how calm a drowning person can seem (as in not flailing or splashing). It’s also scary how they can also start to panic when you’re rescuing them.
I was a lifeguard for years, but my scariest rescue was when I was at the beach with my friend. She told me she would stay in shallow water while I jumped off a nearby pier, but while I was making sure it was safe to jump, I spotted her in deep water. She wasn’t flailing, but had clearly been swept by a current and was barely above water (like this girl in the video). I dove in to get her, but didn’t have any rescue gear for her to hold onto. Once I got to her, she immediately tried to climb up my body and it’s like her brain was in full panic mode. She wasn’t able to understand that she was putting both of us in danger. We were in deep water with a very strong current.
Thankfully, I was also a competitive swimmer, so I was strong and I was able to get her back to safety. But I came out of that bruised and shaken. I still feel like I’m really lucky we came out of that alive.